Messiah

As part of my 2016 reading plan, Monday is my day to read from the Book of Genesis. I am amazed at how many key Bible verses come at the beginning of the book. The concept of sacrificial atonement in particular is actually presented early in the book. Thus, the foreshadowing of the coming of the Messiah and God-Man, Jesus Christ begins early in the book.

In chapter 3, Adam and Eve commit the Original Sin by choosing to eat fruit from the forbidden tree (Gen. 3:6). Now, you may ask, “Why was eating fruit from the tree such a big deal?” Well, this act was a willful decision by Adam and Eve to not believe that God knew what was best for their lives. Instead, they believed that they knew what was best for them and acted on that thought accordingly. Humankind has been making similar decisions ever since.

After Adam and Eve sin, they try to hide their nakedness by wearing coverings made of fig leaves (Gen. 3:7). God in turn provides them clothes made of tunics of skin (Gen. 3:21) sewn from animal sacrifices made to atone for their sins.

In chapter 4, Cain and Abel bring sin offerings to the Lord. Cain offers crops grown in the fields which are refused (Gen. 4:3). Abel offers animal sacrifices (Gen. 4:4) which are accepted. The idea, then, is presented early on in the Old Testament narrative that sin causes death (spiritual – see Gen. 2:17) and physical (animals must be killed to make a blood offering to atone for the sin committed). So begins a very important typology which ultimately points to the coming of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who came to die for mankind’s sins (John 1:35-36).

We also see in chapter 3 the earliest messianic prophecy in the Bible, which foretells of this ultimate sacrifice for sins that Jesus made for us on the cross and the strife and animosity that will be present between God’s children and the Enemy, the Devil: “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen. 3:15).

Ultimately, Jesus’ sacrifice for sins on the cross and victory over death crushed the head of the enemy even though he had attempted to bruise his heel in crucifixion. Barton Payne writes, “Christ rendered Satan powerless, broke the fear of death in which he held mankind (Heb. 2:14-15), and by His passion and particularly at His ascension, cast him down from Heaven (John 12:31;Rev. 12:9-10); (in this age), the church crushes him under foot (Rom. 16:20); in the millennium , Satan will be bound (Rev. 20:1-3); and after its expiration, he will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10)” (J. Barton Payne, The Encyclopedia of Biblical prophecy, 158).

Reading the Bible requires intelligence and discernment. It also calls for thoroughness in reading the entire text. While I may excerpt Scripture from many selections of the Bible, I would suggest careful reading of the entire Book that the Scripture comes from. That being said, let’s examine some key Scripture that reveals Jesus as the God-Man “who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Rev. 1:4).

Let’s first examine the nature of the phrase “Son of God” to gain a better understanding of this title.

In the Book of Luke, Jesus clearly states that He is the son of God when he is questioned by a Pharissee.

“If you are the Christ, “they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am” (Luke 22:67 – 70).

Jesus also stated clearly that He had an eternal nature and was alive a long time ago when He said, “Before Abraham was I AM (John 8:58). This is also a reference to the name of God when He declared to Moses, “I AM that which I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

In addition, Jesus makes clear comparisons to Himself and the Son of Man:

“The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy” (Matt. 26:63-65).

Given that the Pharisees reacted so strongly to Jesus’ claim that he was the Son of Man, they knew that He was claiming to be God Himself.

Where does the Son of Man fit in all of this? Who is he?

The Son of Man was another title for God in the flesh: the long promised God-Man spoke of in Daniel who would reign on Earth and establish Peace on Earth.

“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13 14).

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:31-32).

See also, Matt. 24:27-30, 25:31-34, Rev. 19:11-21. Mark14:61-62, 64 which clearly present Jesus declaring His Deity. If a Muslim tells you, “Jesus never actually said that he was the son of God, rest assured that He did indeed lay claim to this title.

The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), which was completed at least 400 years before the Messiah, Jesus, was born, contains many prophecies that predicted His coming. References to His physical birth to a virgin, His life, suffering, and death for mankind’s sins, along with references to His personality, mission, and future earthly Kingdom are all contained in these prophecies.

Several are shown below.

Much of this information is taken from J. Barton Payne’s book, The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, 1973, pages 665-670.

*Denotes prophecies that will be fulfilled at Christ’s Second Coming

Scripture

Prediction

Text

Genesis

3:15

Jesus will reconcile men to God, at painful cost. He will be a man, springing from the seed of a woman crushing Satan, casting him down, and eventually destroying him

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

9:26

He will come from the Semitic branch of humanity

And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. “

22:18

Within this branch, His descent will be through the family of Abraham

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

49:10

He will come from the royal tribe of Judah and receive the obedience of the peoples

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

Numbers

24:17*

As a star of Jacob, He will strike down all defiance (at Armageddon)

I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

Deuteronomy

18:15

He will be a prophet, like Moses, speaking the words of God

The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

32:43

The angesl of God will worship at His birth

Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.

1 Samuel

2:10*

God will strengthen His anointed (the first use of the term Messiah for Jesus) for His rule

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

2 Samuel

7:13

He will descend from the line of David as an eternal king

He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

7:14

God will be His father, and He will be His Son

“I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. “

23:3*

His rule will be righteous and good, in reverence toward God

The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.

Job

17:3

As the divine Angel of Yahweh, he will ransom men and restore their righteousness

Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me?

19:25*

He will come again and stand over the dust of the righteous, to resurrect them

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

Psalms

2:1

Gentile rulers will unite with Jewish people against Him at His trial

Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2:2

He will be anoointed, in gladness above al others

The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

2:4

He will break the nations with a rod of iron at Armageddon

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

2:6*

God will install Him on Mount Zion as king over the nations

“Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

8:3

He will ascend to the Father’s right hand, gloriously crowned

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

16:10

God will not allow His holy One to see corruption

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

22:1

He will be forsaken of the Father while bearing men’s sins

To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘The Deer of the Dawn.’ A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

22:6

Men will wag their heads in mockery at His crucifixion

But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

22:10

He will trust in God the Father, from His birth onward

I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.

22:11

He will suffer from thirst and pierced limbs, as men gamble for His clothes beneath the cross

Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.

22:19

But God will answer Him after His sufferings and receive Him

But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

22:22

Shortly thereafter He will honor God in the midst of the church

I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

22:27*

Men will pray for Him continually and give worship to God

All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.

40:6

He will delight to do the Father’s will

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

72:7*

He will come down like showers upon the earth and cause abundance

In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.

72:8*

He will rule from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.

72:12*

He will have a particular concern for the poor

For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.

72:17*

His years will have no end

His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.

89:4

He will be the everlasting seed of David

Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’ ” Selah

89:26

He will be God’s Son, His firstborn

He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

110:1

He will be deity, “Lord” even to King David

A Psalm of David. The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

110:3*

In the day of His battle (Armageddon), young people will offer themselves to Him

Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.

110:4*

He will be a priest, after the manner of Melchizedek

The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

110:6

He will strike down the Antichrist over a wide land

He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.

Isaiah

2:4*

Kings will arise before His exalted presence, and princes worship

He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

7:13

He will be born of a virgin

Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?

7:14

He will be Immanuel, God with us, the “Mighty God”

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

7:15

He will experince moral growth, although in an oppressed land

Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.

8:17*

He will wait for Yahweh to convert Israel again to Himself

And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.

9:1

He will bring the light of His ministry to those in Galilee

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.

9:4*

He will proclaim the day of vengenance of our God

For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.

9:6*

He will govern the world

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

9:7*

He will sit on the throne of David and be swift to execute righteousness

Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

11:1

He will be a neser: a “branch” from David, living in Nazareth

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

11:2

He will be anointed by God’s Spirit, for preaching the Gospel

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

11:4*

He will decide with equity for the poor and the meek of the earth and will slay the wicked, the Antichrist

But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

12:1*

He will furnish His people with joy and praise

And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

24:16

He will be a Light to the Gentiles, with worldwide salvation

From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”

26:21*

The victorious Redeemer will come to Zion

For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon– That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.

40:3

John will be His forerunner: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord”

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.

42:1

He will come as the prophetic Servant of Yahweh

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

42:2

His ministry will be unpretentious

He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

42:3

He will be gentle toward the weak

A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

42:6

He will embody God’s redemptive testament

“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,

49:1

He will be called before His birth to be God’s Servant

“Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

49:7

He will be worshipped by Gentiles

Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You.”

52:15

His death will serve as an atoning sacrifice to justify many

So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.

53:1

He will be rejected by Israel

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

53:4-6

He will take on Himself the sins of the world

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

53:7-8

He will voluntarily submit to suffering

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

53:9

He will receive honorable burial in the tomb of a rich man, Joseph or Arimathea

And they made His grave with the wicked– But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

53:10

He will triumph over death

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

53:12

He will be exalted

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors

Jeremiah

23:5

God will raise up out of Israel an eternal Branch of David and He will execute justice and righteousness in the land

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

23:6*

He will be called “Yahweh (is) our righteousness,” as men live in safety

In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

30:21

He will pledge His life in priestly mediation for God’s people

Their nobles shall be from among them, And their governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.

Ezekiel

17:23

He will be an offshoot of David, through Jehoiachin and Zerubbabel

On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

21:27*

Yahweh will grant the Davidic throne to the One whose right it is

“I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Daniel

7:13*

The son of man will come with the clouds of heaven

I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.

9:25

His Coming as Prince will be in 32 A.D., 483 years after King Artaxerxes gave the decree to Nehemiah to re-build Jerusalem

Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

9:26

He will be cut off (crucified) after the 69th week is completed

And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Hosea

1:11*

The Jews will seedk the Davidic King, whom they accept as their head

Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel!

6:2

After two days, i.e. on the third day, He will be raised from the dead

After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.

Joel

3:16*

Through Him, Yahweh will “roar” from Zion and judge the attacking nations

The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.

3:17*

Representing Yahweh, He will dwell on Zion the holy mountain

“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

Amos

9:11

In Christ, God will raise up the booth (humbled house) of David

On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old;

Micah

2:13*

As the “Breaker” of restraints, He will move befre His people

The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the Lord at their head.”

4:3*

He will be great unto the ends of the earth

He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

5:2

The future ruler will be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Yet, He will have been with the Father from all eternity and brought forth by a woman, through childbirth

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

5:5*

He will deliver His people from the Antichrist’s attack from Assyria

And this One shall be peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land, And when he treads in our palaces, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight princely men.

Zephaniah

3:15*

The King of Israel, of the essence of Yahweh, will be in Jerusalem

The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.

Haggai

2:9

In the temple rebuilt by Zerubbabel, God will give peace, in Christ

The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

Zechariah

2:5

God will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem as its glory

For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ “

3:8

The Lord will bring forth His “Servant”, who is the One called the “Branch,” out of David

‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.

3:9

He will remove the iniquity of the land in one day by His counsel of peace

For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. ‘

6:12

The Branch will grow up, where He is, through childhood

Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; “

6:13*

But He will bear glory and sit and rule upon His throne

Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ‘

8:3*

The Jews will look upon Him as He return to Zion as He resides in Jerusalem, as deity present

“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’

9:9

His kingship will be one of justice. He will be granted saving help from God and will enter Jerusalem humbly, riding on a donkey

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

9:10*

His dominion will be from sea to sea

” I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’

11:12-13

He will be betryaed for 30 pieces of silver

Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”–that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.

12:1*

He will go forth and fight against the nations gathered at Jerusalem

The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

12:10*

At His return, the Jews will mourn for Him and accept Him. God will identify the Savior with Himself as deity, “My fellow”. The Good Shepherd will be smitten and “pierced”.

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. “

13:7

He will bring back His hand over “the little ones” of His flock (the disciples) and regather them to Galilee

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. “

14:4*

His feet will stand in that future day upon the Mount of Olives

And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south

14:5*

He will be accompanied by a host of holy ones, angels (or saints or both)

Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.

Malachi

3:1

His way will be prepared by a messenger, John the Baptist. As deity and as redeemer, “the Angel of the Testament”, He will come to His temple

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

3:2*

At His second coming, none will be able to stand before His refining power

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderer’s soap. “

3:3*

He will purify His people who serve as Levites

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.

“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

Daniel’s 70 Weeks prophecy is perhaps the best known of all prophetic Scripture regarding Israel and End Times. It also may very well be the most often misunderstood of all eschatological Bible passages. The prophetic passages in Dan. 9:24-27 give us a glimpse of key events that are to take place impacting Israel and its people. Understanding the Scripture properly influences greatly how one understands many other pieces of Scripture involving prophecy of things that to take place before the coming age. To properly understand the message of the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is to understand God’s faithfulness and determination to bring forth Israel’s chosen King and Lord: Jesus Christ. Misunderstanding the Scripture is to underestimate God’s nature and faithfulness to His covenant people in respect to keeping the prophetic promises written of throughout the Old and New Testaments.

H.A. Ironside writes of the importance of understanding the Seventy Weeks prophecy:

For if the 70 weeks are to be misunderstood, then, an effort will necessarily be made to bend all the other prophetic Scripture passages into accord with that misinterpretation. But if we have a correct understanding of the teaching of this chapter, we can then see readily how all prophecy, without any forcing, falls right into place and is intimately linked with this the greatest of all-time prophecies (H. A. Ironside, Daniel, Kregel, 2005, 86).

A key to understanding the passages of the 70 Weeks in in understanding the context in which the revelation was given. It is clear from the passages in Daniel 9:1-19 that the revelation that Gabriel brought to Daniel was given to him in response to his fervent prayer. It is believed that the time period for the events described in chapter nine was approximately 70 years after Israel’s initial deportation to Babylon after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The text says that Daniel had been reading Jeremiah’s writings and understood that Jerusalem would remain desolate for seventy years.

Jeremiah’s prophecies clearly indicated a 70 year period in which Israel’s land would be left desolate:

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years (Jer. 25:8-11).

Jeremiah revealed what the Lord said would come after the 70 years in exile as well: “After seventy weeks are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word for you, and cause you to return to this place” (Jer. 29:10). When he came to understand Jeremiah’s prophecies regarding the seventy year exile that God had appointed, Daniel was prompted to pray for Israel’s forgiveness and for Jerusalem to be delivered from its time of desolation. As is evident in the words of 9:12, Daniel was familiar with the Law of Moses and the judgment that God would bring upon Israel if they were unfaithful to Him:

Moses writes, “I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them. They shall be wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs” (Deut. 32:23-25).

He also would have known of the Scripture regarding the consequences of disobedience to God: “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you” (Lev. 26:14-17).

But Daniel must have also understood the Scripture regarding God’s promised of faithfulness and mercy if only Israel would repent and turn away from its iniquities and call upon the name of Yahweh:

“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt– then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes. Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 26:40-45).

Daniel also understood from Jeremiah’s writings that God would never allow Israel to cease to exist as a people to Him. Jeremiah writes: “If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord” (Jer. 31:36-37).

In Daniel 9:16, 18, Daniel appeals to God’s sense of righteousness and mercy in hope that He will turn away His anger from Jerusalem and His sanctuary. Daniel, in his sincere devotion to the Lord, is compelled to bring his humble petition to Him. There is nothing in the text to suggest that Daniel has excerpted words from prayers from people such as Nehemiah as some critical scholars have suggested (A. A. Bevan, A Short Commentary on the Book of Daniel, 1892, 150). It is Daniel’s familiarity with the Law, the writings of Jeremiah, and his intimate knowledge of the nature of God that enables him to compose such a humble prayer in chapter nine. This prayer serves as a great model for anyone needing to call upon the name of the Lord. Daniel, as a great man of faith, displays the kind of heart that God desires in His people. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).

That his prayer is effective is evident in the swiftness with which Gabriel provides the answer to Daniel along with a revelation from God. Daniel pleadingly offers up a humble request on behalf of his nation, Israel, to be forgiven of sins and for Jerusalem to be restored back to its people. Understanding Daniel’s intended audience is a key to understanding the prophetic message that Gabriel brings to him. The revelation that Gabriel brings to Daniel directly addresses the remaining days for Israel. J. A. Seiss writes: “It is not the Jew and Jerusalem in one case, and Christians and the church in another. It is the Jew and Jerusalem first, last, and all the time, and nothing but the Jew and Jerusalem, and what pertains to them (J. A. Seiss, Voices from Babylon, 1879, 240). So, it is with the correct understanding of application that we must examine the prophecy of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks in 9:24-27.